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Twink
In MMORPGs, a twink is a player character that is disproportionately powerful for its level, having received better items or enchants than it would normally be able to obtain on its own. These items or enchants may be provided by a high-level alt (alternate character), friends or guild members. Gold may also be purchased, in violation of the game's Terms of Service, from gold-selling websites. Twinks are mainly used in PVP fighting or in Battlegrounds because they have such an advantage over normal players. In a way, a twink is like a low-level version of an "epic'd out" level 60 character. However, it is quite hard to have all the equipment that a twink would have without having a high-level alt because it would be very difficult for a character to have all that equipment and still be at that low a level without another source of money. Twinking is common in MMORPGs, including, World of Warcraft, though many mechanisms are in place that limit a player's ability to equip a character with gear beyond its level. Examples ;Examples of twinking include: *having a high level character provide , , or Bind on Equip items to a low level character, or the gold to purchase those items, *having a high-level character farm an instance or accomplish high level quest chains with a lower-level character, *enchanting or applying arcana to a low-level character's equipment with bonuses that require large amounts of gold or high-level materials, and *sending massive bulks of ingredients to a low level character so it can power level its professions, in particular Engineering, which allows the creation and use of equipment without level requirements. Twinking is most often done in order for a level 19 or 29 character to compete in the 10-19 and 20-29 battleground brackets. Since "normal" players there don't have level 50+ enchants and the best armor available for that level, the twink has a high chance of winning. Game design World of Warcraft has several mechanisms in place to reduce twinking, including: * minimum level requirements to use or equip items, * minimum level requirements to do quests and thus receive quest reward items, * minimum level requirements for potions, buffs and healing spells, * minimum level requirements to advance in professions, and * binding of items on pickup or use to prevent "hand-me-downs." Noticeably absent from this list is a minimum level requirement for enchantments and Arcana, although the Zul'Gurub shoulder enhancements cannot be transfered to a twink. Twinking debate Twinking is controversial within the World of Warcraft community. ;Common arguments for the position that twinking is unsportsmanlike include: *Low-level battlegrounds are decided based on who has spent the most gold, rather than based on skill. *Twinking encourages gold-buying, since purchasing the best items is faster than earning them via quests or PvP. *Players with low-level characters are unable to compete on an even footing in battlegrounds unless they already have a level 60 character and are willing to invest hundreds of gold in their low-level alt. *Since some players are bound to twink their alts, other players are forced to do the same to stay competitive. *Non-raiding players seeking to escape the gear imbalance found in level 60 battlegrounds are met with an even greater gear imbalance in low-level battlegrounds. *High-end enchants and arcana were not intended for low-level items. *Imbalances due to twinking drive away newer players that get "left behind" compared to twinked alts who tend to group less and solo more. *Twinking hyper-inflates the prices of low level BoE items, making them pretty much unreachable for casual players looking to upgrade their gear at the auction house. ;Arguments in defense of twinking include: *Twinking is allowed by game mechanics, and is not considered in any way an exploit. *It is a common aspect of most gamers to seek out the best possible equipment for their characters. Twinking is simply another method of character progression, akin to gearing up a max-level character. *Players who have earned the gold with which to twink their low-level alts have earned the right to do so. It is a "rich man's game," requiring large sums of money, but everyone who wishes to play the game is free to do so. *Since honor and reputation aren't really needed at lower levels, it affects the community the least. *The battleground faction rewards are far better than any items that you can purchase on the auction house at that level, so most base equipment differences will be equalized if players stay in the same bracket. *Twinking speeds up leveling of alts, preventing wasted time re-hashing old content. *Anything that encourages staying with lower level characters can help population in otherwise low level areas (assuming they aren't exclusively in battlegrounds) as players increasingly run into the level cap. Twinking resources * Rogue twinking guide * Discussion and guides for twinking level 10-19 characters * Twinkedouthttp://twinkedout.com/ * Battlegroundforums.com Twink and other PvP discussion * http://shadowpanther.net/twinkarmor.htm * http://shadowpanther.net/twinkweapons.htm See also * The Wikipedia article on wikipedia:Twinking in MMORPGs. Category:Game Terms